Little-known Canadian Gets "Anakin"

It's official: Toronto native Hayden Christiansen, who plays a troubled teen on the Family Channel's teen rehab drama Higher Ground, has won the role of Anakin Skywalker in the final two episodes of the Star Wars prequel trilogy.

E! Online's Anderson Jones reported May 6 that Christiansen won the role after his agent/manager sent George Lucas an episode of the series. Christiansen and a handful of other contenders, including Ryan Phillippe and Colin Hanks (Tom's boy) from Roswell met at the ranch for digital screen tests with Natalie Portman. Chemistry, according to Jones, is vital, since Portman's Queen Amidala is supposed to be Anakin's love interest.

"Lucas made good on his promise to give the part to an actor with limited experience who is not immediately associated with any other production," Jones wrote.

As it happens, when the news came out I was attending a local mini-con and toy expo here in Austin where the guests of honor were Jeremy Bulloch ("Boba Fett"), Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca) and Phil Brown (Luke's Uncle Owen). Star Wars was definitely the theme of the day, although there were plenty of Trek items and other collectibles available. It was apparent because, despite the presence of the USS Rhyanna chapter of Starfleet International and a some spiffy "Starfleet Marines," the Star Wars costumes outnumbered the Star Trek uniforms.

Although there was a distinguished-looking Jedi wandering about sweltering in a suedecloth cloak, the man who attracted the most attention was Eric Rothlisberger in his state-of-the-art Boba Fett costume. Everywhere he wandered, attendees were stopping him to get their photos taken.

Rothlisberger, a Beaumont, TX, native currently stationed with the US Army in San Antonio, said he has spent three years and about $800 perfecting his outfit. He was an avid model builder in his younger days, but hadn't considered putting those skills to use making a costume until recently. Starting from scratch, he started constructing it, often discarding a part when something better came along.

"I lost two girlfriends and a lot of money because of it," he said.

Rothlisberger built the costume out of plastic and polyester twill. The "armor," he said was a kit he purchased off the Internet.

"That's where my model-building skills came in," he said, "putting the plastic together."

His father helped construct his "laser rifle," an air pistol with a length of PVC pipe attached to the barrel that is trimmed with a cylinder of ridged plastic and attached to a handmade wooden stock.

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